This was the first plugin from Meldaproduction I'm actually interested in. Their other free stuff is pretty basic "bread and butter" stuff but this seemed special.

Unfortunately MSpectralDelay is a real CPU hog. The bigger the fft size the more CPU it uses. I then experienced it needs higher fft sizes to sound good. Using some modulators in addition will result in even more CPU usage. I bet the latter can be optimized by ourself if you're into their system. I tried to dig deeper but after opening the manual I instantly closed it again. NI Spektral Delay (which was obviously the inspiration for this plugin) was not that hungry when using similar basic settings. Another difference is the smearing of transient material. This is more prominent in the melda plugin.

Some things other users experienced as well: randomizing settings blew up my speakers, audible distortion and artefacts in the higher frequency range "like mp3 codec noise". Downloading a big installer that copies many more files and presets than needed and AV warning aren't a good thing either. Someone wrote it runs out of sync but I couldn't reproduce this in real use scenarios. Registering at their website to get the free license is something I can understand.

A downside of the plugin is the ui and workflow (sorry I just can't get used to it, it doesn't make fun opening them) and their exaggerated marketing phrases.

IMO the problems are not acceptable from someone who "reinvented" the delay. It will not replace anything in my setup and it is not usable in production. I might use it offline for soundscapes or so. I'm sure there are users loving it, especially melda customers who are used to it. It is free but please understand that doesn't mean we can't criticize it.

Discussion

with all respect. Do you think you can really write a profound review after playing around with this delay for about an hour?

I wouldn't dare to do such a thing. And I cannot offence you in any way with my opinion about that because you didn't write a review either. You didn't even write a true comparison toward the 2 plugins you mentioned. You just picked out the non-sound-related elements you didn't like and dared to give 1 star without even explaining something about the sound and the sound-design possibilities MSpectralDelay offers...although you said it has "tons of options". It's just a bland statement based on some user-GUI preferences of yours which says nothing at all about the Melda product.

You shoul'd ask yourself what the real intention of yours was as you did such a thing and why your mind played such a cheap monkey trick on you.

Thank you guys for the defense. Robinson is apparently very Melda non-lover, perhaps even competition :). But that's life, important is that apparently thousands of people seem to love it. MSpectralDelay (or more like Melda GUI :)) is not for everyone, but it made an impact on many, and hopefully it will give many people fun & creative ideas, and that's important ;).

R0bins0n's comment was completely unprofessional and biased. He is making a comparison to plugins he already owns and wasn't making an objective review on the plugins effectiveness. Unfortunately, monkeys are allowed to post comments too...this is what results. I personally find that MSpectralDelay is a wonderful device that delivers effectiveness. I will write more about this later. I just wanted to chime in on the absurd and unwarranted negative review that R0binson0n posted.

Well, I haven't been using Melda stuff for "an hour." I own the "big three" (MPowerSynth, MDrummer, and MXXX) and have used them for years (along with the free stuff off and on). They are very advanced tools and the sound is superb.

But I have never, ever, ever heard anyone who doesn't actually work for the company praise the GUIs. Certainly not in a review from any reputable audio magazine or blog. The best anyone can seem to summon is something along the lines of "it's not to everyone's taste" (though I've seen the word "migraine" used in a published review). The more usual statement is a complaint. And honestly, I can't think of any other plugin maker that has been so criticized for so long and has stood so intractably by their design decisions. They just adamantly refuse to admit that there is any problem at all.

There is a problem, and it's not far from what the OP said: Melda plugins adhere to a very old, and frankly outdated approach to visual design and organization. It's not unusable, or terrible, or anything like that. But here's the simple truth: If Melda plugins looks liked FabFilter's, they would crush every plugin maker in existence in a week's time. I don't mean *literally* look like them; I mean if Melda took to the time to ask themselves, "How do we pack this many features into a plugin, and still have a simple, intuitive workflow?"

Now, they will say, "We do! We have 'easy mode'!" But that's a solution from 1995. Go look at PhotoShop. Or any of the Izotope products. Or hell, look at the newest version of Max/MSP. Or the Unity game engine. Or any really complex piece of graphical software made today. They have all moved on from the set of metaphors that govern Melda plugs. Perfect? Hardly. But honestly, if *every single reviewer* is mentioning your problematic GUI, you have a problem. Maybe Melda is content with the "thousands" of happy users (many of whom, I would guess, are happy the same way I am: delighted with the audio and the capabilities, frustrated with the GUIs), but you might ask if that number wouldn't be considerably higher if the "GUI problem" weren't a constant, relentless drum beat every single time your product is mentioned.

Honestly? I think that when it comes to the GUI, Melda is way more interested in making developers happy than users. They have a framework (they're very proud of their resizable GUI "engine") that can be effortlessly ported from one project to the next, and it just makes their life easier. Who wants the kind of painstaking graphical work that goes into, say, a U-he plug (with 3d models rendered into 2d, and all of that)? The answer is, the users. They want it to look nice. Or better. Or something. They want it all carefully thought out. And it's not. Not by a mile.

I'm sure there are people out there who just love the Melda GUIs. And the OP might be stating things a bit extremely. But the majority opinion is far closer to the latter than the former.

Hmmm.... Sramsay - you didn't state that you have been trying MSpectralDelay. While it's not on par with Fabfilter's products beauty-wise (nothing is in my opinion), I do think it's the best Melda plugin UI I've seen. It's also very easy to understand, while complex and powerful at the same time.

What's interesting is that all Melda plugins are active "forever", which means that improvements to the UI should make _all_ their plugins better-looking than they might be today. I don't know what people want to be changed, but it's interesting to note that UI elements could be changed as part of a simple Melda update (say, version 13).

I never will understand the discussions about GUIs, except they are far too small and unreadable. Beside that for my that is just pixels which form a surface with which I can use the plugin and work with. I never run over a plugin I couldn't work with. I am interested in sound and possibilities. I feel absolutely no need to become emotionally involved due to a look or a certain feel a virtual thing seems to spread out. That feeling is nothing but an illusion. It (the plugin) has to do the job. that's all for me. I am totally rational and sober regarding that matter and I know that pixels no matter how ever they might look doesn't make the sound.

Hi Mike. I got your point and I am aware of the fact that this is common reaction and thinking.

But really... the only thing out eyes can see is form and colour. Everything else... all the concepts about good and worse and whatnot... is just mind invented.

There is absolutely no need to get into a plugin or you have a certain feeling by it's appearance. The restriction to use something is not caused by a plugin it's caused by yourself, based on your preferences.

It's enough to just use something. Its very easy just to do it. :)

Sorry I can't forfill common expectations. I am deep into ZEN and meditation for several years now and I am beginning to see things like they really are.

these are generally really good plugs. as has been stated already the only real drawback to them is the GUI. they need to find a way to condense all the features into one screen. honestly, i tried their synth which sounds wicked but it took me so long to navigate and find everything that i kind of gave up on it.

Hey folks, thanks for the feedback. I understand the concerns about the GUI. However the truth is, many people love it. But as anything "nonstandard" it really attracts haters :). It's really easy to trash someone's work by saying it doesn't look like Fabfilter's stuff, but quite frankly, to me this is just sad. Fabfilter's stuff is like 100x simpler, and to me it is quite ugly actually :). But that doesn't matter, it's the sound and use that matters. And people are just different and want different things... Some like Fabfilter's way, some like Melda way... and that's how it should be ;).

For the record the Melda GUI was always oriented towards quick workflow and versatility, not simplicity itself. So the learning curve is steeper indeed. But then everything is in one place. And I know for a fact, that people, who get used to it, wouldn't change it, because it just works. And fast.